PASADENA - A city commission approved a concept design for the first phase a $171 million renovation of the Rose Bowl - with an eye toward preserving the best of the historic stadium's past.

The Design Commission, with input from the city's Historic Preservation Commission, this week approved the location and shape of the stadium's press box; a design for signs and a new score board; a landscaping scheme; tunnel expansion plans; and a design for remodeled bathrooms.

At least four of the stadium's tunnels will be widened for easier access on the south end. The new press box will be about four times the square footage of the existing one.

Five public bathrooms will be remodeled to be more compatible with the historic character of the Rose Bowl. And the landscaping design makes room for hedges around the perimeter of the field, similar to what the stadium had in place more than five decades ago, said Rose Bowl General Manager Darryl Dunn.

About 18,300 square feet of landscaped areas would be removed and/or reconstructed according to the project's preliminary landscape plan approved Monday.

"One of the main reasons that our effort has gotten a lot of community support is the fact that we are embracing the setting - a national historic landmark - and we are trying to integrate that as much as possible within our design," Dunn said. "We're going to continue to have that mind set to make that work."

The new press box, which will take a few years to construct, is expected to have six levels and include broadcast media rooms, suites and premium club seats, concession stands and an underground kitchen.

"That's the primary revenue source in this project - it's the premium seating," Dunn said. "Having more space in there provides the opportunities to generate more revenue and provide better experiences for people in that area."

Historic Preservation Commissioner Andrea Rawlings said she was excited about plans to expand and renovate the press box in a way that makes it more compatible with the architectural style of Myron Hunt, the bowl's original architect.

A craftsman-style expansion of the press box done in the 1990s was "very awkward looking," she said. Hunt did not "put a lot of ornamentation on things."

"He was much more sparse and pared down," Rawlings said. "I'm hopeful that the new press box...will be more of a modern interpretation of his style."

The historic parts of the Rose Bowl were built between the 1920s and 1950s. The goal is to preserve those sections wherever possible, while ensuring that any new additions are compatible with them, said Peyton Hall, architect with Hollywood-based Historic Resources Group, which is working with the project's architect, D'Agostino Izzo Quirk Architects Inc.

"Our big vision is that aesthetically, the new press box, the new gates and fences, even the toilets would be remodeled so they all fit together better rather than being a collection of different pieces that have different designs," Hall said.

A final design review must still be approved by the Design Commission before Phase I construction can start next year.

Dunn said Rose Bowl Operating Co. officials meanwhile are developing a plan to finance the renovation project in a way that makes fiscal sense and is acceptable to the City Council. Officials hope to use federal stimulus bonds to pay for the project, recouping the money through ticket sales and other revenue made there.

Once complete, the financial plan is expected to be brought to the council for approval in October, Dunn said.

"The Rose Bowl is an icon for Pasadena and for the region, We need to reinvest into it in order to stabilize its future and this is our chance," he said.